


Song of the Wretched Automatons

by Littlemapleleaf



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Divergence - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Eventual CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Eventual Romance, If I can spin it, Multi, NieR: Automata Spoilers, Please Don't Read This Unless You Are Okay With That, i'm serious nier: automata is an incredible experience that you should totally play through, relationships to be tagged as they appear - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlemapleleaf/pseuds/Littlemapleleaf
Summary: In which 2B finds herself alone once more in a galaxy far, far away, and the clones meet a kindred spirit carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Song of the Wretched Automatons

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!!! About three or so years ago, I was playing through Nier: Automata while watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars for the first time. Both would go on to become some of my favorite media, and frankly I've been thinking about them both ever sense. The clones and the androids evoke the same questions, and this crossover has been ruminating in my brain for months. I kept trying and failing to write it, until today. Unfortunately, I have an entire paper to write as well, so I am posting a rather short first chapter now in order to keep me motivated to finish my schoolwork so that I can get back to working on it soon.
> 
> Please note that this contains spoilers for both Nier: Automata and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While I'd like to think that you don't necessarily need to have experienced them to understand this story, this is probably not the case. And I am begging you, if you haven't played Nier: Automata, to please only read this if you REALLY want to. The game is an incredible experience that literally changed my life in multiple ways, and I don't want to deprive you of experiencing its heart for the first time yourself with a Star Wars crossover.
> 
> I do intend eventually to write in some romance between Obi-Wan and Cody, as well as 2B and [spoiler for now], but the focus will probably be mainly on interactions between the clones and the androids, because that's what I was most interested in exploring. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy!

The dusted snow of the planet of Synaantisi billows in great clouds above the battlefield, already painted with scraps of droid and the corpses of clones draped over each other atop drifts of ice. The sharp and acrid stench of blasterfire permeates what once must have been a cold yet pleasant landscape, its white now stained red and black. Bundled up in his cold weather gear, which has already been clumped with snow, General Obi-Wan Kenobi resembles a particularly miserable cat. He is reading a report from Anakin, stationed on the other side of the planet, on a datapad, scarf pulled up over his reddened nose.

“This was truly an awful idea,” Obi-Wan says, tapping his deactivated lightsaber against his knee. He glances to the newly established deflector shields between them and the separatist forces. Rather than any sort of serene calm, Obi-Wan instead has his eyebrows drawn together as he surveys the cleanup effort from today’s fight. “I can’t believe I let Anakin drag me into coming here. A full week and we haven’t even seen _any_ sort of new weapon.”

“It’s important that we come here anyway,” Cody reminds him. “The last time the separatists had a new weapon, General Plo lost his entire fleet.” Internally, he is reassessing this assertion. All he can see is the lost brothers being gently dragged into shallow graves, sacrificed once more for the war that gave them existence and that constantly takes it away. All this for some kind of clanker he hasn’t even seen yet.

When Commander Cody had first heard the news that the separatists have some terribly dangerous new type of droid, his reaction was a sort of resigned despair. Commander Skywalker would want to see it, which meant Obi-Wan would want to see it, which meant that Cody would inevitably be picking up after both of them somehow.

“I hope you’re right, Cody,” says Obi-Wan. He pulls his hood further over his face and looks out again at the shields, which cover the entire camp in a dome. About three hours ago, the separatist forces had suddenly withdrawn, and the GAR was taking a moment to breathe in the meantime rather than give immediate chase. The sun is beginning to dip beneath the horizon anyway, lighting the smoke in the air the color of yolk.

Cody wonders, vaguely, whether or not he can convince Obi-Wan to sleep.

Then the rumbling starts. A dark shadow passes just beneath the setting sun. A single, dark shape, evading the shooting of their air defenses with a deft hand. Cody watches it spin, faster than any sort of droid carrier they have seen before, and dodge past a barrage of blaster shots. The shape elongates and dives to the barricade.

“That must be the weapon,” says Cody. Beside him, Obi-Wan places the datapad gently on the snow and ignites his lightsaber. In the sky, the flying pod drops open, and a smaller shape, cloaked in the shadows of the sun, drops out of it. Obi-Wan rushes to the barrier, Cody just behind him, blasters out and ready, helmet already on.

The thing slams into the snow just in front of their shielding and stands to its full height.

Or perhaps Cody should say _her_ full height.

It is no droid, but a woman who faces the entire GAR with nothing but a metal sword. She towers over Obi-Wan on high stilettos, dressed in a short, black-laced gown and high boots despite the freezing cold.

A nightsister? Cody takes note of her silvery hair and pale skin.

But her oddest feature by far is the black blindfold that covers both her eyes. How the hell she’s supposed to fight in _that_ , he doesn’t know.

The woman stares at Obi-Wan, silent as the grave. She lifts a gloved hand and touches the shielding, pushing through. The entire GAR trains their weapons on her. Obi-Wan takes soresu, inviting her approach.

There is the crackling of radio static. The woman tilts her head, as though listening, and then steps back from the shielding. Her blank gaze slides to Obi-Wan.

“Come outside,” she says. There is no emotion to her voice. “I’m only supposed to fight you.”

Obi-Wan blinks. Looks to Cody for a moment. Then he shrugs, nods and deactivates his lightsaber to cross the barrier. Cody informs the rest of the 212th over radio to train their weapons on the woman and prepare for battle, and then steps outside himself. He keeps his blaster aimed at her dark figure, an easy target in all the snow.

Obi-Wan falls back into soresu. The woman mirrors him, falling into a low stance with her massive blade held before her. There is a pregnant pause as two experienced warriors size each other up. Then they dash.

The woman ducks beneath Obi-Wan’s first swipe, then flips over his second. Her massive sword slams into the ground where he stood a moment ago, and she flips herself over it to drag it forwards from the snow and slam it onto him once more. Obi-Wan lifts his lightsaber to block her attack, and Cody thinks for a second about firing his blaster, and then the woman’s blade _dissolves_ into thin air and she’s slamming a fist into Obi-Wan’s jaw. He’s knocked backwards, rolling across the ground, and the woman pulls a spear and a short sword seemingly out of nowhere and runs after him.

Cody gives chase.

Obi-Wan is already on his feet and flipping through the air. The woman stands motionless, sword in hand, and waits. Just as his blade broaches her space she dodges to the side, aiming with deadly accuracy at Obi-Wan’s neck.

Cody fires a single shot, unwilling to distract his general but unwilling to leave him alone. The woman crouches beneath it and swipes at Obi-Wan’s legs. He presses a hand to her shoulder and flips over her back. His movements are elegant and precise, and he thrusts his lightsaber into her abdomen.

She grunts, falling to her knees, but pushes herself onto her elbows. Her heels hit Obi-Wan in the face. Blood trickles down his nose. Cody fires another shot at the woman while she curls onto her feet. It burns into her exposed thigh (and really, what sort of uniform is this?).

In that moment, her sights turn momentarily to Cody. She throws her spear right at him like a javelin. Jumping to the side, Cody fires another shot. The spear dissolves beside him, and a new set of weapons appear at her back. The woman rushes him with a massive pair of gauntlets. One fires at him on its own accord.

Cody roundhouse kicks it across the snowy dunes. No matter to the woman; she has already reached him. Her unused gauntlet slams into his face. Cody curses, crumpling to the ground. Something rings in his ears—the hum of a lightsaber? He hears the woman cry out and looks up to see Obi-Wan’s blade poking through her lower ribs.

A whistling heralds the return of the fighter from earlier. It rushes between Cody and Obi-Wan, seemingly on autopilot, and slams into the woman, who clutches it with both arms. Her weapons disappear and she disappears into the fighter as though it is a suit.

The sun makes its final descent below the horizon.

In the freezing dark of the winter planet Synaantisi. Cody hears Obi-Wan say:

“That woman had a restraining bolt on the back of her neck.”

Something isn’t right.

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter was fun to write, mainly because I was thinking of how to balance the flowy and fast lightsaber combat with the combat of Nier: Automata. I spent a wild amount of time watching Nier: Automata gameplay for this, and then thinking about how that might interact with a force user. I hope it was fun to read! There is definitely more of that on the way!


End file.
